Mediagazer: YouTube will warn users before they post comments that “may be offensive to others” and adds better content filter systems for creators (Julia Alexander/The Verge)

Clare Jim / Reuters:

HK activist Jimmy Lai has been charged with fraud over the lease of the building that houses his Apple Daily paper; its daily operations shouldn't be impacted — HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was denied bail on Thursday on a charge …

Discussion: New York Times, NPR, New York Post, @nytmedia, @kenroth, @rasmus_kleis, @nytimes, Al Jazeera and The Guardian

Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:

Meredith promotes Catherine Levene to president of the National Media Group where she will oversee print and digital magazines and associated consumer products — For the first time in its 119-year history, media giant Meredith Corp. has tapped a female executive to lead …

Discussion: Adweek, Digiday, @yashar, @candaceamos and MediaPost

Stephanie Sengwe / The Streamable:

HBO Max removes its free trial option ahead of the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on Dec. 25, mirroring a step Netflix and Disney+ have taken before big releases — It looks like there is a new trend emerging as HBO Max joins the list of streaming services doing away with the free trial option.

Discussion: The Wrap, CINEMABLEND, Streaming and Cord Cutters News

David Folkenflik / NPR:

Watchdog finds “substantial likelihood of wrongdoing” at VOA parent agency under Michael Pack; sources say they fear Pack will do more damage before he departs — The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal watchdog, disclosed Wednesday that it had found “a substantial likelihood …

Discussion: @govacctproj, @thesteveholzer, @oneunderscore__, @npr, @davidfolkenflik, @radiofreetom, @ncvates, @debmorello and The Hill

William Turvill / Press Gazette:

Interview with Jarrod Dicker, WaPo's VP for commercial technology, about its revenue platform Zeus, which has signed up 100+ websites in its first year — Since the global financial crisis, news publishers - many hit by crippling revenue declines - have made several failed attempts to pool …

Discussion: @jarroddicker, @jarroddicker, Washington Post, Washington Post and @simonowens

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

YouTube will warn users before they post comments that “may be offensive to others” and adds better content filter systems for creators — An attempt to weed out offensive comments — YouTube is trying to combat offensive comments that appear under videos by following …

Discussion: TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:

US pay-TV subscribers will soon start receiving refunds and credits from providers, compensating them for the year's pandemic-related sports cancellations — - Customers are to get back the value of games that never aired — Credits and ‘courtesy adjustments’ will show up on bills soon

Discussion: @kevinwhitelaw1

Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:

Sources: JD Heyman was ousted as EIC of EW after multiple senior staffers filed complaints to HR accusing him of inappropriate, racially insensitive comments — JD Heyman was ousted as the top editor at Meredith's Entertainment Weekly on Monday after multiple senior staffers filed complaints …

Dave McNary / Variety:

Updated Top Critic criteria on Rotten Tomatoes emphasize individual qualifications instead of outlets and include those working in other media like podcasts — Rotten Tomatoes has launched a new Top Critics program for its Tomatometer rating system, including new criteria aimed at boosting inclusion …

Discussion: The Wrap, Rotten Tomatoes and IndieWire

Abhrajyoti Chakraborty / New York Times:

Profile of Anand Patwardhan, a leading documentarian in India, who says he is now forced to hold screenings in secret due to threats from Hindu nationalists — Anand Patwardhan spent decades tracking the rise of Hindu nationalism. And now, under an increasingly repressive government, he holds his screenings in secret.

Discussion: @tomlasseter, @vedicakant, @nehashastry, @beenasarwar, @sominisengupta, @kenroth and The India Cable

Kimberly Nordyke / Hollywood Reporter:

MTV says it's committing $250M over the next three years to fostering content “led and produced by BIPOC- and woman-owned and -operated companies” — The intiative aims to generate unscripted content as well as to provide funding, infrastructure, services and staff.

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, Business Wire and Associated Press

Steve Pond / The Wrap:

Sundance Film Festival replaces its Park City, Utah, event with a virtual festival that will take place from Jan. 28-Feb. 3 on a custom-designed online platform — In an attempt to maintain a sense of community at a time when large gatherings are impossible, the Sundance Film Festival …

Discussion: @jasonhirschhorn, @jenny8lee, The Playlist, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Collider and Variety